FEATURE: Modern-Day Queens: Leigh-Anne

FEATURE:

Modern-Day Queens

PHOTO CREDIT: Derek Bremner for NME

Leigh-Anne

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THE Pop scene right now…

is so exceptional and varied. In terms of the absolute best out there, Leigh-Anne is near the top of the pack. The past couple of years have seen her put out some incredible singles. Her debut album, My Ego Told Me To, will be released on 20th February. That is going to be among the most anticipated albums of 2026. Her Little Mix bandmate JADE released her debut album, THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY, in September. Also in September, Perrie Edwards, as Perrie, released her eponymous debut album. I know there will be a lot of analysis of the three members’ albums. It is not competition at all. Instead, it is three members of a hugely successful girl group presenting their solo debut albums. I know that Little Mix will come together for something in the future but, for now, we are seeing three amazing artists deliver remarkable albums. Leigh-Anne’s is going to be one to get. Prior to that, I did want to highlight this amazing artist. Someone who is among the true heavyweights of modern-day Pop. I am sharing this after 23rd October, but there was this pre-release option where you could get various bundles and options for My Ego Told Me To. Including a cassette on its own and a vinyl, cassette and C.D. bundle, there was this choice for fans. Great value too. Actually, the options are still available, though that date cut-off gave pre-sale access to Leigh-Anne's upcoming tour. I am keen to get to some fairly recent interviews with Leigh-Anne. One of the most remarkable artists we have in our midst, this is someone who is already influencing other artists coming through. Before getting to an interview from last year, I want to start with a recent article from NME, who gave details about Leigh-Anne’s debut album and upcoming tour:

“Former Little Mix member Leigh-Anne announced her debut album ‘My Ego Told Me To’ and a UK and Europe tour. Find all the details below.

The album, which will be her first outside of Little Mix, will be released on February 20, and is available to pre-order here.

A new single, ‘Dead And Gone,’ will come out this Friday (October 17), following on from ‘Been A Minute‘ and ‘Burning Up’, the latter of which came out back in August and drew inspiration from her Caribbean heritage.

Speaking about the album, Leigh-Anne said: “This album is the truest representation of me as an artist. Versatile, rooted in reggae and my heritage, but stamped with pop. It’s personal and impossible to box in.

“I wanted it to feel authentic, blending the genres I love with a sound that’s distinctly mine. It’s also a statement: standing by my art and doing it my way,” she continued. “These are songs I’ll be proud of in five, ten years, because they reflect exactly where I was.

“You’ll hear my world in it, my daughters, my marriage, my fight for power, and the moment I embraced my fire side and said: no more. This is my show now.”

Alongside news of her album, Leigh-Anne has also announced the ‘My Ego Told Me To Tour’, which will include dates in the UK, Ireland and Europe.

The shows kick off in Dublin on April 6, before she makes stops in Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, London, Paris and Amsterdam. She’ll then wrap things up in Berlin later that month.

Tickets go on sale on October 24, and will be available here. Ahead of that, an artist presale will kick off on October 23, which you can gain access to by pre-ordering the album here”.

There was a lot of excitement and a bit of shock when Leigh-Anne announced her solo career. In the sense many felt this signalled the end of Little Mix. That she was leaving for good. Speaking with DORK in June of last year, we discover how Leigh-Anne was stepping out on her own for this solo venture of self-discovery. Stripping layers away to reveal the truest form of herself. Although quite scary to go out solo, it is clear that Leigh-Anne had a lot to say as an independent artist. She could be more authentic as a sole artist rather than being part of a group:

“Thanks to the success of Little Mix and the devotion they inspired from fans worldwide, Leigh-Anne knows she’s not exactly starting her solo career from scratch, “but I am essentially a new artist who is at the start of building something,” she offers. “I’m still growing, I’m still finding my feet, and I’m still experimenting, all of which is normal for a new project.” She goes on to say she’s still working on her debut album. “I definitely feel like it’s there, and I’m excited for it to finally come out. The pressure has been taken off a little bit now, though, and I feel a lot more comfortable about it.”

Part of that comfort has come from blocking out social media noise. “It’s easy to get sucked into worrying about what other people think I should be doing or achieving, especially because Little Mix were so huge. There are obviously going to be expectations, but I’m just really focused on doing my own thing, which is putting out music that I think is brilliant,”

“I absolutely loved what we did in the group, but what I’m doing right now is completely different,” she says. If it wasn’t different, what would be the point of leaving the safety of the group in the first place?

After big, pop-infused songs like ‘Don’t Say Love’ and ‘My Love’, that upcoming body of work sees Leigh-Anne shimmy away from polished spectacle and lean into creating something more intimate. “It’s definitely the most raw I’ve been,” she explains. “Those early singles and the massive videos were such amazing moments, but this record is me stripping some of those layers away and just being open about my story. It’s scary, but I hope it allows people to come into my world more.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Lou Jasmine, Adama Jalloh

When she first started writing music for her solo career, Leigh-Anne wanted to explore all the different things she was experiencing – being a new mother, leaving the band, stepping into her power – but she kept coming back to her relationship with her husband, Andre Gray.

“I really do lead with love,” she says. “If I’m hurt in love, or if I’m happy in love, that really does affect me. And at the beginning of my relationship with Andre, he put me through some crap where I was left hurt and didn’t know if we were going to make it. At the same time, I had to pretend everything was ok,” she continues. She didn’t feel like she could talk about it with the rest of Little Mix despite their tight bond, and those feelings were left unexplored. “I just never really healed from it,” says Leigh-Anne. “When I went into the studio, I felt like I needed to get it off my chest, and it’s been a healing process.”

The entirety of Leigh-Anne’s upcoming record is about her relationship with her husband. “There have been sad times, sexy times and happy times, so it’s definitely a journey of emotions,” she explains.

The first chapter of the currently-unannounced #NHF story is ‘Stealing Love’, a beautiful, tightly-wound track about not receiving the love you deserve in a relationship, while the second is ‘Forbidden Fruit’. “I never really wanted to talk about how I met my husband because it was forbidden fruit,” says Leigh-Anne. “We were both in situations, but we genuinely couldn’t deny the love that we had for each other.” As she sings in the song, “Broke a couple hearts just to be forever”.

“I don’t really want to get too into it because it still feels wrong. When I talk about it, I still feel icky,” she continues. “But at the same time, love had to come first.”

“The way that I’m attacking this solo era is by wanting to be as honest as I can,” says Leigh-Anne. But that’s also a daunting prospect, considering how many people are listening. “Obviously, people don’t know this stuff,” she explains. “People assume things are always great, especially because you only post the good bits on social media. But let’s face it, nothing is ever perfect. It’s been really freeing to embrace that.”

She hopes people can find hope in her raw, vulnerable storytelling. “There are so many songs about heartbreak and breakups, but this story is about finding a way through. It’s about making things work. It would have been really easy for me to walk away from that relationship, but now we’re married, and we have our twins. All of that came from fighting for each other.” It’s a far cry from the colourful, bright and happy world of Little Mix, but it’s not a complete departure. “We always wanted to inspire people, and I’ve definitely taken that with me into my solo music,” Leigh-Anne adds. “It’s so important to spread a joyful message”.

In July, Rolling Stone spent time with Leigh-Anne. The start of a bold and thrilling new era, Been a Minute was released into the world. She was asked about its incredible music video. Leigh-Anne also shared some behind-the-scenes images from the music video. Since then, we have had a further few singles from Leigh-Anne, including one of the year’s best in Burning Up:

“This is your first release as an independent artist – what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far?

To always trust my gut, I don’t think it’s failed me once. Always stay true to myself and what’s authentic to me. And just enjoy and savour every moment and every win no matter big or small.

You’ve overseen the whole creative direction for this music video. Tell us about the concept and what’s it been like fine tuning and creating your own vision?

It’s been the most freeing experience watching my vision come to life. For the ‘Been a Minute’ music video I wanted to create a space where everyone feels like they can be themselves unapologetically. It’s giving afterparty carnival vibes, everyone’s sweaty, there’s zero fucks given and we’re all living life. I wanted to capture the essence of the song, and to me that’s all about freedom and fun. I have an amazing team around me who just get it. Feeling grateful to have found my tribe.

How was it working with director Femi Lade?

I think it was one of the easiest shoots I’ve ever done, it was such a smooth process. Femi absolutely smashed it, we really clicked and brought our vision to life.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lucy and Lydia

There’s a lot of strong choreography throughout the video – how did you decide on this movement?

I love a bit of choreo so had to give a little taste of what’s to come! I love how this movement feels a bit more loose and free. Literally like you and your girls have taken over the dance floor and living your best life!

The music video captures the essence of carnival and has a very warm palette. How important was that to portray?

The warm palette and energy of the video were really intentional. I wanted it to feel rich, vibrant, and alive. It was about paying homage to heritage, not just in a visual sense but in spirit too. My culture is colourful, it’s expressive, it’s bold and I wanted all of that to bleed through. Now that I’m in control of my artistry, I can really bring those influences to the forefront unapologetically. This era is about embracing all parts of me, and I can’t wait to show more of what I’ve been working on.

The video takes a turn towards the end as we see a doppelgänger dressed in red take your place. Who are they and what do they represent?

There’s a shift happening, and that moment at the end is a small glimpse into something bigger. I don’t want to say too much yet, but everything you’re seeing has a purpose. The story has only just started…you’ll have to wait and see how it all unfolds.

Are there any details in the video that only you would notice?

I had a day to learn the choreo! But I’m really hoping the fans don’t notice that!

What can fans expect in this new era of control and independence from you?

Everything done on my terms, taking more risks, worrying less about what people think and other people’s expectations of me. We’re coming to disrupt. No more miss nice girl…”.

Leigh-Anne played at Reading Festival in August. Backstage, NME chatted with this wonderful artist. Someone who is a natural festival act. Someone who could well headline soon enough. Leigh-Anne spoke about this new period of music for her and what the future of Little Mix is. It is clear that, alongside her esteemed sisters in Little Mix, Leigh-Anne is forging this wonderful Pop sound and legacy. She will continue to build and grow as an artist. However, the music she is releasing now is tremendous:

“You’ve recently released two new singles ‘Burning Up’ and ‘Been A Minute’. Is this the start of a new era?

“It is 100 per cent the start of a new era. I had to take a bit of time to step back – and I’m newly independent now as well – so I was going through that process. I needed to find my tribe. People say ‘Have a tribe around you that sees your vision, otherwise how can you really get to where you wanna go?’ I finally get that, and I’m trusting myself and leading everything myself. I feel great.”

We’ve seen you grow as an artist from your beginnings in Little Mix. How has your sound evolved over that time?

“At the beginning of my solo career, I felt like I knew what I wanted, but there was too much noise around it. There was too much politics, like ‘It has to sound a bit more like this’, and I couldn’t have the real creative control to do what I wanted. So I think it’s evolved by literally just taking the reins myself and saying, ‘No, I’m doing it my way’ and taking the jump to go independent.

Is there anything that you’ve taken from your time starting out in the girl group that you’re still implementing now, or is it two separate worlds for you?

“I definitely feel like I learned everything in Little Mix, so everything I do now [stems] from that. Probably, the fact that I always want to put on a show. In Little Mix, we turned it out every time. I’ve still got that in me – always wanting to give everything I can to have the best show possible. That’s the main thing, the performance level and striving to be even better.”

You’ve said that this isn’t the end for the group, it’s just a hiatus. Do you think all of your respective solo projects and individual sounds could shape the way that we see Little Mix when it makes a comeback?

“I’ve been thinking about this, because we have all gone off and done our own things, found our own sounds, and we are in completely different lanes — which is amazing. I have been wondering though, when we eventually come back, what will that sound like? That’s going to be an exciting thing… but at the same time, Little Mix is Little Mix, and part of that is wanting to deliver what people love. I have to wait and see”.

I am ending with DORK again. Another interview around her Reading performance, Leigh-Anne slayed when she played. However, very few Pop acts are invited to play at Reading & Leeds. It is still very much reserved for ‘heavier’ acts. A degree of elitism, rigidity and misogyny, certainly when it comes to its headliners. I hope that powerful and phalangeal artists like Leigh-Anne can bring about a change. It is high time that major festivals work up and released how important women in Pop are. I know many festivals book Pop artists, though I feel other ignore them out of principle:

“The first taste of the new chapter was the smirking comeback track ‘Been A Minute’, which was released in July. “It’s such a summer banger, I had to release it,” explains Leigh-Anne. “It really is just the beginning, though. I have so much to say and want to take the fans on a journey.”

She doesn’t want to give too much away (“I’m excited to keep unveiling”) but does say the next project is all about “the journey of discovering my power, owning it and standing up for myself.” She’s also excited to challenge expectations. “People think Leigh-Anne is the emotional, sensitive mum… and I am, but there’s a different side to me as well.”

A lot of this next project is inspired by playing live. “With ‘No Hard Feelings’, I wanted to explore deep things like my relationship with my husband and heartache. The headline tour for that record was amazing, but doing these festivals with ‘Been A Minute’ and ‘Burning Up’, the energy has just been electric. It’s been such a party, it’s reminded me what I enjoy – I love to dance, I love to put on a show. There’s space for those ballads, but I want to make sure people have a great time.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Frances Beach

During her feel-good set at Reading Festival, Leigh-Anne took a moment to encourage the crowd to “to sing for love, to stand for love and to spread the love, in a world that needs it so bad right now,” before a glorious cover of Bob Marley’s ‘You Could Be Love’. “How could you ignore what’s going on right now because the world is a fucking scary place,” she says of her decision to promote love during a time when hate is on the rise. “The injustices, oppression and everything else that’s happening right now is fucked, quite frankly. I just wanted to talk about the importance of spreading love, and Bob Marley’s ‘You Could Be Loved’ is one of those beautiful songs that just brings people together.”

She also performed a trio of Little Mix songs – ‘Touch’, ‘Power’ and ‘Sweet Melody’. “All those songs are important to me, but they’re also bangers, so they slotted into the set nicely.” As much as Leigh-Anne is starting a new solo chapter, she’s got no intention of leaving her past behind. “I wouldn’t be where I am without Little Mix. Everything I’ve ever learned and everything that I am is because of the group. What we’ve done is unbelievable, and I’m only really just processing that now. There’s just this pride, and I think that’ll be something I always bring to my shows.”

Despite the shadow cast by being a member of one of the world’s most successful girl groups, Leigh-Anne says she doesn’t care about the expectations around her solo project. “It took a while to retrain my brain, but I now know I don’t have to prove anything to anyone,” she grins. “I’m done with thinking like I do. I’ve been doing this for more than 12 years. Now, I just want to do it with no inhibitions”.

I am going to wrap up. Leigh-Anne is about to embark on the busiest time in her solo career. With a debut album out in February and a tour coming, she will make this major step. One where she is independent of Little Mix. Not that she wants to cut free from them, though you can hear the realest and most potent form of Leigh-Anne in her solo material. A queen of modern music, I wanted to salute…